Sweden

For decades, the authorities in Sweden have encouraged people to drink responsibly – and with a state alcohol monopoly, strict rules and growing abstinence, they seem to be succeedingChristmas is synonymous with overindulgence, especially of drink. Sometimes the weather is an excuse: historically, alcohol was regarded as a way to warm up. Alcohol […]

Head north, avoid light pollution and seek out high ground – how to plan to see the northern lightsThe northern lights lit up the skies across the UK and Europe several times this year, and experts are predicting 2025 will be a great year for spotting the often elusive light show.The dazzling natural phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, has been […]

Hotel incident case closed due to lack of evidenceSwedish media had reported Mbappé was suspectMbappé’s legal team had dismissed reports as falseSwedish prosecutors have dropped a rape investigation that was reportedly launched in connection with Kylian Mbappé’s visit to Stockholm in October.In a statement released on Thursday, lead investigator […]

Last month two Baltic Sea cables were damaged and experts say Australia’s cables are not immune from threats. How worried should we be?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 1m kilometres of cables snake along the world’s ocean floor, ferrying data between distant lands. […]

Apps and booklets are offering advice on how to build a bunker, stockpile food and live without electricity in case the worst happensGermany is developing an app to help people locate the nearest bunker in the event of attack. Sweden is distributing a 32-page pamphlet titled If Crisis or War Comes. Half a million Finns have already downloaded an emergency […]

PM says Beijing has been asked to cooperate after Yi Peng 3 vessel was seen in area where cables were severedSweden has announced that it has sent a formal request to China for cooperation over the suspected sabotage of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.The prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said on Thursday that Swedish authorities were seeking […]

Regional leaders meet after undersea telecoms cables severed, while Chinese ship remains at anchor nearbyThe Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said the Baltic sea is now a “high risk” zone as he met Nordic and Baltic leaders days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.The Swedish prime minister declined to speculate on who may […]

For decades, Swedish politics has promoted individual success. Now an official booklet urges us to unite ‘in case of crisis or war’ Swedes are generally not known to panic or overreact. But many of us are feeling a little shaken after a booklet with a soldier in camouflage holding a machine gun, with a fighter jet tearing through the sky in the […]

Tess Merkel Solomons bewails ‘disgusting’ treatment of husband after he missed post-Brexit application deadlineA singer with a Swedish disco band who performed at this year’s Eurovision has told of the “dehumanising” and “distressing” consequences of Brexit after her British husband’s application to remain in Sweden was rejected.Tess Merkel […]

Peter Carlsson says $1bn to $1.2bn needed to restore business touted as potential European rival to Asian firmsBusiness live – latest updatesThe chief executive of Northvolt has resigned, after the Swedish battery startup filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.Peter Carlsson, who has led Northvolt since 2016, will step aside with immediate effect, the […]

Investigators gather evidence at two Baltic sites while Danish navy is shadowing Chinese cargo shipSwedish police investigating the believed sabotage of two fibre-optic undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have said a Chinese ship off the coast of Denmark was “of interest” as Danish officials said its navy was shadowing a Chinese-registered cargo ship.The […]

Boris Pistorius says ‘no one believes’ two undersea fibre-optic communications cables were cut accidentallyRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesGermany has said it has to assume that damage to two undersea fibre-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea since Sunday was an act of sabotage.Two cables – one between Finland and Germany, the other […]

Outages include 1,200km link between Germany and Finland and 218km cable between Lithuania and SwedenUpdate: Damage to Baltic Sea cables was sabotage, German minister says Two undersea fibre-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea, including one linking Finland and Germany, have been severed, raising suspicions of sabotage by bad actors.The episode on […]

The tradition of chomping through a kilo of sweets once a week is under threat as demand soars for sugary sweetsSwedes love sweets. So when an American TikToker sparked a craze for Swedish candy this year, there was pride that an important part of national culture was being recognised around the world. The Danes may have Ozempic but the Swedes have […]

Ever since the election, there have been endless headlines about US women emulating South Korea’s fringe 4B movementSex sells. Sex strikes, meanwhile, make for an irresistible headline. Ever since Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the election, there have been endless headlines about how American women are emulating South Korea’s fringe 4B movement (which […]

Colleagues speak up in Paulina Brandberg’s support after leaked emails reveal efforts to spare her from the fruitA Swedish government minister’s fear of bananas has become a national talking point after emails revealed that such is the strength of her aversion that aides try to clear rooms of the fruit before she enters.Paulina Brandberg, the minister […]

Regulator deems posters offensive, though Elexir Pharma argues term is ‘not loaded in the same way as in the UK’The Swedish advertising ombudsman has criticised a company for using the C-word in posters to promote vaginal health supplements, saying the use of the “gross profanity” is offensive to consumers.The ads, displayed on public transport in […]

There are eight Swedens around the world – and the northern European nation is determined to prove it’s the original and bestName: Sweden.Age: First settled roughly 10,000 years ago. Continue reading...

The editor and author on completing the memoir by her late friend, Swedish writer Johanna Ekström, where she stands on the assisted dying bill and what she’s readingSigrid Rausing, 62, is a publisher and former editor of Granta magazine. When her best friend, the acclaimed Swedish writer Johanna Ekström, became terminally ill with cancer, Rausing […]

From Kenya to Brazil, patients need tasty, nutritious food more than most – so which countries do it best?• ‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why is UK hospital food so bad?One of the best meals of my life was the platter of food that I ate in a Taipei hospital after I gave birth to my son last year. There was tofu braised in five-spice, […]